Efficient use and re-use of water is vital to a brewery’s success. With the right management and technology, the savings potential is massive - both financially and in regard to protecting the environment. ALECTIA is helping a brewery in Latin America save approx. 500.000 tons of water every year.

ALECTIA is currently helping a 4 million hectolitre brewery in Latin America minimise its water consumption. Through simple but efficient means, ALECTIA helps the brewery save approximately 0,5 million tons of water per year. This is achieved through meassures such as:

• Water treatment filters for cleaning used water are recycled for subsequent cleaning. This results in a reduced water consumption of 10.000 tons per year.
• The use of water to flush product lines is optimised according to the precise volume required instead of an estimate. This results in a reduced water consumption of 25.500 tons per year.
• Steam (hot water) is the main medium for transporting heat energy throughout the brewing processes. The steam condensate is recovered for reuse in steam boilers, reducing the need for additional water. This results in a reduced water consumption of 8.000 tons per year.
• The fermentation process produces carbon-dioxide which is separated using water sprays. Regulation of the spray process reduces water consumption by 125.000 tons per year.
• Some processes require a partial vacuum generated by a water-sealed pump. By recycling this sealing water, consumption is reduced by 130.000 tons per year.
• Clean wastewater from the brew house and production utilities is recovered and returned for primary water treatment. The result is a reduced water consumption of 190.000 tons per year.
• The brewery recovers and harvests rain water to use in cleaning processes.
• An increase of the wort cooling temperature in the brew house has reduced consumption by 40.000 tons per year.

The examples above are currently prioritised projects. ALECTIA and the brewery have established a collaboration where new ideas for minimising water (as well as electricity) consumption are proposed on a bi-weekly basis to ensure continuous improvements for the brewery. With this setup, the brewery always has a updated plan for minimising its water consumption.